Age Standardized Lung Cancer Death Rates for Cigarette Smoking

Age Standardized Lung Cancer Death Rates for Cigarette Smoking and/or Occupational Exposure to Asbestos Dust Compared with No Smoking and No Occupational Exposure to Asbestos Dust*.

Group

Exposure to

Asbestos

History of.

Smoking

Death

Rates·

Mortality

Difference.

Mortality

Rates

Controls

No

No

11

0

1.0

Asbestos Workers

yes

No

58

47

5.2

Control Smokers

No

Yes

123

111

10.9

Asbestos Workers

Yes

Yes

602

590

53.2

Rates per 100 000 man-years standardized for age on the distribution of the man-years of all the asbestos workers. Number of lung cancer deaths based on death certificate information. Table reproduced with permission from the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.*

JAMA Nov 9, 1984-Vol 252, No. 18 -Asbestos-Related Diseases-Council on Scientific Affairs

Students: Consider what the rates mean in relation to the difference between initiators and promoters, Which compund do you think is associated with most lung cancer; tobacco or asbestos?